K2500 brainteaser UPDATED

[Bob_VT]

1995 K2500 Chevrolet 350 with auto. 5000 miles on the engine and transmission. Normally runs like a clock until this....

Over the weekend, the starter went. My son and I installed a new starter (reman from Napa). Started and ran fine.

Today I went out to plow the driveway and when I started it everything was fine until I hit the brake to shift it..... it died. Restarted but this time it was a little harder to "catch" and start. I re-started and everytime I hit the brake pedal it would die.

I started it in N and just tried to slip it into R and it dies again. I was able to drive forward but not in R and as soon as I hit the brake it would die.....

I finally gave up and took it to a mechanic..... I drove real slow on the back roads and did not use the brakes for 20 miles! At one point I was concerned and I intended to put on the 4 way flashers and as soon as I hit the button it died! Restarted and continued to the mechanic.

Upon arrival I hit the brake and it died again in his yard. I handed over the keys and he tried it. Wouldn't you know it ....... we could not duplicate the problem at all????
I left it there and he is going to check it over.

The ONLY thing I can guess is the reman-d starter is the problem and creating a dead short (well thats under warranty and it could happen) otherwise I am stumped??

The entire trip all the gauges were fine.

Thoughts?

 

[dolluper]

Re: K2500 brainteaser

Re: K2500 brainteaser

Fuseible link at starter....not sayin the one you replaced couldn't be that...big bolt on starter solinoid not tight bad connection ...pull on Pos cable to find out....bad ground at block ,,did you tighten the mounting bolts anough

 

[dolluper]

Re: K2500 brainteaser

Re: K2500 brainteaser

Eactly 2 nuts on stater solinoid one inside loosens starts sometimes others won't .....depending on angle....trickey c'n many times ...pull Pos connection off tighten inner solinoid nut replace pos cable and tighten outside locking nut

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: K2500 brainteaser

Re: K2500 brainteaser

Tomorrow will tell ...... I will check that.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: K2500 brainteaser

Re: K2500 brainteaser

UPDATE - Picked it up today and the mechanic could not find ANY reason..... but, of course he did find things to do.

It has a new cap and rotor and he found an oil coolant line leaking. He ordered the new coolant line ........ I was not even aware that it had an oil cooler but it was the HD K2500 and that is part of the package. It has an intermitant CEL too but that is the O2 sensor.... in due time.

Dolluper..... the starter was checked and is tight.

I drove it home tonight w/o problems.... strange

 

[MikDee]

Re: K2500 brainteaser UPDATED

Just something to check, if your truck is wired like my 95' S-10, there is a fuel pump ground somewhere in the back by the tail lights, that's wired in with them, and maybe the reverse lights as well (a common ground). I don't know exactly were it is, but I've heard of them causing problems like you've described once they get corroded. Maybe the new starter just put an extra load on this item, causing it to fail.

 

[ThumbPkr]

Re: K2500 brainteaser UPDATED

I am going to speculate that it is a ground problem and as you are already thinking you have not seen the last of it.The long drive to the mechanics caused enough vibration to conceal the fault for now.
I would do the easy things first like checking the ground straps from body to frame,there should be some from the firewall to the engine etc.
When it happens again see if you can fix it with a jumper cable to the body from the battery.I hate it when this happens..Ron G

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: K2500 brainteaser UPDATED

Mikdee the fuel pump and common ground back there are all new within 6 months along with fuel tank and bed restoration and all wiring for the back of the truck.

I have ground straps and wires to the block, frame and body..... each one was checked.

I guess the saving grace from this is discovering the bad oil coolant line. If that breaks the 350 will run out of oil in under 3 seconds and be toast!

 

[dolluper]

Re: K2500 brainteaser UPDATED

?? you got an OBD 1 or 2 connector on that truck.....it's TB injection and only one O2 sensor....yes? ...no? You wouldn't have any slope in the motor or trannie mounts??Wouldn't be the O2 sensor wire grounding when you shift to rev because of play in the mounts eh

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: K2500 brainteaser UPDATED

TBI and one very dead O2 sensor

Hmmm dead O2 sensor wire grounding would kill it?

 

[ThumbPkr]

Re: K2500 brainteaser UPDATED

He might be on to something there.Even more so if the sensor has a pre heater which would likely be powered by the ignition circuit.Good logical troubleshooting there!!!Ron G